1981 - 1982
Tower Systems is born! Mark Fletcher develops an accounting system for Newsagents on his kitchen table. The system turns heads - it's the first of its kind. In 1982 Tower Systems hires its first employee.
1993 - 1994
We hire our first professional accountant, bringing amazing financial reporting to our software facilities. In 1994 our first Point of Sale system is released, giving retailers greater control.
1996
We purchase Forest Hill Newsagency to provide us with practical experience in Australian retail. All of our staff participate in relaunching and working within the store.
1997
The first EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) trials are conducted linking our software to external supplier systems and saving countless hours of paperwork for our customers.
1998 - 2000
We release our Point of Sale software for Windows OS while our competitors are still fully implanted in DOS. In 2000 we buy RED Software, another leading software supplier, and extend our customer base to jewellers and bike stores.
2001 - 2002
An exclusive alliance with Avanti Bikes is formed making our software the preferred product for all Avanti dealers in Australia & NZ. In 2002 our software support fees are cut by 15% to 25%.
2003
We purchase the third floor of a professional office block in Melbourne as our new HQ.
2004
We expand our development team to gear up for the release of new products for jewellers and gift shops. Three major software updates are released for each marketplace.
2005
We hire a creative team to handle design and execution of new marketing campaigns to and for independent retailers and introduce electronic voucher products into our POS software.
2006
Major software updates further expand our electronic voucher facilities, offering hundreds of new products for sale directly from the POS software.
2007
Support services are expanded to six days per week plus after hours. Tower Systems is the only company in several of its marketplaces providing this service to customers.2008
Tower launches the Tower Training Academy to deliver up to 300 online workshops for newsagents, gift shop owners and jewellers. Web Ex is the delivery platform used right around Australia.
2009
Electronic voucher products are expanded to more than 200 products for Tower Systems POS registers. We also deliver more than 130 user meetings across Australia and move to a new office in Hawthorn.
Tower Systems launched Software Ideas, a transparent platform through which customers are encouraged to suggest software changes and vote on changes. Software Ideas is a unique platform in software develop0ment circles.
2012
Tower Systems develops and begins selling specialist software packages to pet shops. The release of Windows 8 late in the year further enhances the existing Tower Systems tablet experience.
2013
Exciting new Discount Voucher functionality begins in-store testing and is released later in the year, revolutionising how thousands of stores use customer loyalty to drive sales.
2014
Tower Systems attains National Measurement Approval for Fuel Integration using POSTEC forecourt controllers. We begin selling specialist software to Toy Shops, develop PayPal integration and became a certified Xero Partner with the launch of our Xero accounting link.
2015
Development commences on Permit to Acquire functionality for the firearms industry.
2017
We launched a suite of cloud based tools to make it easier for small businss retailers to manage their businesses anywhere.
2018
We significantly expanded our web development resources, which enabled us to deliver excellent web solutions for small businesses and well as groups of retail businesses.
2019
We released the Visual deck, a small business focussed BI platform that enables business owners to track performance when away from the shop.
2019
Retailer Roam™ We released the initial version of our remote POS app that enables selling from anywhere, any time, with sync with the retail business data. Ideal for truck, market and car boot selling.
2020
Retailer version 3 was released. A complete visual and tech reset with major language, databased and UX changes delivered. The delivery of this multi man-year project sees the Retailer software make a significant generational shift.
2021
Some core software modules were replaced following a reimagining of functionality based on customer feedback and after exploring operational changes in retail channels we serve. These re-writes are on-going and deliver fresh software to our customers.
The Software Ideas platform though which customers suggest enhancements and note on them has been overhauled to improve customer engagement in encouraging the future of the software. Software Ideas continues to be a differentiator for Tower Systems.
2023
ChatGPT POS software integration released enabling time efficient AI generation of product descriptions for local small business retailers.
International barcode database lookup enabling faster and mor consistent new product setup and data entry for retailers.
2023
A new POS software solution for self-checkout released offering independent small business retailers a solution enabling shopper purchase away from the counter in a shop. Developed with retailers, this self-checkout facility helps businesses on large properties and businesses where customers are not prepared to wait to be served.